Paper Mitchell (2001)
|followed_by=''Paper Mitchell 2'' }} Mitchell Story originally known as Paper Mitchell RPG is a role-playing game released in 2001 for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast & PC CD-Rom. Developed by Enix (Enix's competitor Square Soft took it's development act for it's PC version while THQ does the development in it's dreamcast title), Published by THQ, Distributed by Nickelodeon Games, Paper Mitchell marks the second role-playing game in the ''Mitchell Van Morgan'' series. Paper Mitchell also marks the start of the ''Paper Mitchell'' series; its sequel, Paper Mitchell 2 was released in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Overview Paper Mitchell introduced new concepts to the role-playing genre while still maintaining elements from the Mitchell Van Morgan series. Much like other Mitchell Van Morgan games, Mitchell must defeat Marquessa, who has stolen the Stone Rod from Power Stone Haven. Mitchell must gather all the Stone Spirits and defeat the evil genius. While the characters of Paper Mitchell are two-dimensional, the world itself is three-dimensional. Both the world and the characters exhibit paper-like qualities to them, however the use of these paper-like structures was not implemented until Paper Mitchell 2 . Although Mitchell is controlled for the majority of the game, Princess Peach is controlled during the intermissions. Princess Peach can communicate with Mario via Twink, and as she gathers information during her imprisonment, she sends Twink to inform Mario of what she has learned, which oft Partners character cut-out designs contained within three-dimensional backgrounds.]] Paper Mario combines traditional role-playing game (RPG) elements with concepts and features from the ''Mario'' series. For the majority of the game, the player controls Mario, who can jump and use his hammer to overcome physical obstacles placed in the game's overworld. Many of the game's puzzles and boundaries are based upon the abilities of Mario's partners, who each have a specialised skill required for progression in the game. The player accumulates partners as they advance into different locations; only one partner can accompany Mario in the overworld, although the player can interchange them at any time. These characters also assist Mario in the game's turn-based battles, where damage inflicted against them results in temporary paralysis as the characters do not have individual HP statistics. Attacks in the game are similar to those in traditional RPGs, although the player can influence the power of a move when attacking or defending by timing a button-press accurately or performing some other action command as required. Mario and his partners have a finite capacity to perform special moves, with each of these consuming a particular number of flower points (FP) when performed. Such statistics can be increased by earning Star Points (experience points) in combat to level up. There is also an on-screen gauge to display Star Energy, which is required to perform another type of move that accumulate in number as the player advances through the game. The player can locate hidden battle upgrades in the game's overworld, which promotes one partner character to a new rank at a time. Progression through Paper Mario depends upon interaction with the game's non-player characters (NPCs), who will often offer clues or detail the next event in the storyline. As in other RPGs, the player can find or purchase items from NPCs to help in and outside of combat. Badges can also be obtained that yield bonuses ranging from added moves to gradual health restoration during combat; each consumes a set number of Badge Points (BP), meaning Mario can only equip a limited number of badges at a time. Princess Peach is playable at particular points in the game as a recurring sidequest. The objectives and actions of each transition to Peach vary, although most are stealth-based. Plot and setting The game is set in the Mushroom Kingdom, beginning as Mario and Luigi are relaxing in their house when the mail arrives with a letter, which turns out to be an invitation from Peach to a party. Mario and Luigi then head to the castle, and as Mario is about to have some quiet time with Peach, her castle is suddenly lifted by Bowser's fortress. After his invasion and victory over Mario, the attached fortress serves as the location for playable side quests of the kidnapped Peach. In the main quest, Mario tries to retrieve all of the 7 imprisoned Star Spirits on land, where most of the locations are linked to the central Toad Town, which acts as the game's hub area. The story's main conflict arises when Bowser invades Star Haven, the residence for the Star Spirits, and steals the Star Rod. Story and characters The game's story centers on Mario as he tries to reclaim the seven Star Spirits, who have been incarcerated in playing cards by Bowser and his assistant, Kammy Koopa. Their combined power is required to negate the effects of the Star Rod, which makes Bowser invincible. Once Mario rescues all of them, he uses their assistance to defeat Bowser and rescue Peach. The story is presented in the context of a novel, with each adventure involving the rescue of a Star Spirit denoted as a single chapter. Peach is playable between chapters, where she allies with a star kid named Twink in the castle to relay vital information to Mario regarding his quest. Mario allies with eight partners in total, each of whom represents a different type of enemy from the Mario series. These allies are: *'Goombario' ( ) a Goomba, who has the ability to tell the player about any character, any environment, and any enemy. *'Kooper' ( ) a Koopa Troopa, with the ability to throw his shell at otherwise unreachable objects. *'Bombette' ( ) a Bob-omb, with the ability to blow up weak parts of walls. *'Parakarry' ( ) a Paratroopa, with the ability to help Mario cross gaps too large to jump across. *'Lady Bow' ( ) a Boo, with the ability to make Mario become invisible and transparent. *'Watt' ( ) a Li'l Sparky, with the ability to light up rooms (also, the only ally in the game with the ability to penetrate an enemy's defenses) and to see hidden objects. *'Sushie' ( ) a Cheep-Cheep, with the ability to allow Mario to swim. *'Lakilester' ( ) a Lakitu, with the ability to allow Mario to traverse dangerous environments, such as spikes and lava. After Peach's castle is sent back to the ground and Mario defeats Bowser, he recounts his tale to Luigi, who had remained at home while Mario went on the adventure. Peach throws a huge party to honor Mario and his allies for saving the entire kingdom, which is then followed by a parade during the credits. In the end, Mario and Peach exit their parade float and gaze up the sky, seeing fireworks. This part will not end until the player turns off the console. When restarted, the file will restart from the last save. Development Paper Mitchell was developed by Enix for N64 & PlayStation and Square Soft for PC. Kumiko Takeda and Kaori Aoki wrote the game's script, while Naohiko Aoyama was the art director responsible for the game's distinctive graphical style. The game was initially called Mitchell Story RPG, and was first revealed at Space World '97, a former video game trade show hosted by Nickelodeon & THQ. Critics compared the game's 2D character style to Sony's PaRappa the Rapper & Nintendo's Paper Mario. Viacom Networks Japan K.K., who consulted on the project, stated that the game was being developed with amateur gamers in mind. He had earlier revealed at E3 that around twenty developers were actively involved with the project. Paper Mitchell was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console, PlayStation Network (PS3), Xbox Live Arcade and the Microsoft Windows PC Live in 2007, and the PC Digital in 2011. Music The game's soundtrack was first released in Japan on September 21, 2000, with the game's original title by Enterbrain, and distributed by the magazine Famitsu. See also *''Paper Mitchell 2, a sequel to the first game. *Super Paper Mitchell, a sequel to Paper Mitchell 2 and a second sequel to the Paper Mitchell video game series. References External links *Paper Mitchell Profile - THQ (Archive) *[https://thqgame.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nmqj/index.html Official THQ Japan ''Mitchell Story site] *https://www.nick.com/games/papermitchell/ - Nickelodeon Games *https://www.nickjapan.com/games/papermitchell/ Official Nickelodeon Japan Mitchell Story site] Category:2001 Category:Video games Category:Rated E games Category:Paper Mitchell (2001) Category:Paper Mitchell series Category:Nintendo 64 games Category:PlayStation games Category:Sega Dreamcast games Category:PC games Category:Virtual Console games Category:PlayStation Network games Category:Xbox LIVE Arcade games